Parenting fail, part 1,265

 It's become axiomatic here in America the self-absorbed that asshat parents are everywhere, which is why there are no longer youth/high school umpires and referees everywhere. The latter are getting run off by the former, and it's become not just an issue but a critical one.

 Today's example?

For that we dip into the ranks of the minor celebrities, which is to say the Magic Twitter Thingy and national sports talk radio. It seems Clay Travis, Trumper sports-talker, got thrown out of his son's Little League game after railing at some poor umpire who made what Daddy Clay considered a horrible call.

Then he went on his national radio show to talk about it, apparently believing he was standing up for truth, professionalism and the American Way.

Actually all he was doing was demonstrating what a garbage parent he is. More on that in a bit.

For now, here's some poor Little League ump getting called out nationally for not being "professional" and not earning his paycheck. I'm sure that will be massive incentive for this guy to continue umping Little League games, oh, you bet. 

I'm also sure I can't imagine anything as unprofessional (since Clay was talking about "professionalism") as using your radio platform to air a private grievance.

I also can't imagine a greater parenting fail.

Because I keep thinking about Clay's kid, and wondering what lesson he was learning, watching his dad harass an ump and get ejected from the premises. That if an ump or ref makes a bad call, you should throw a mad fit? Get thrown out of the game? This is the example you want to set as a parent?

So, there's that.

There's also this: Justifying your misbehavior by claiming these Little League umps are all professionals and should earn their apparently massive paychecks by being competent. Gotta say, that one made me laugh out loud. Hell, a lot of these kid baseball umps are barely more than kids themselves, and all they're doing is trying to earn a little spending money for the summer. Because a little spending money is all they're making.

Like they need asshat parents yelling at them as if they just blew a critical call in the seventh game of the World Series?

No wonder the ump/ref shortage has gotten so bad entire swaths of games are being canceled because the organizers couldn't scare up game officials.

Sad thing is, the day's gonna come when Clay's son shows up for a Little League game and there won't be a game because there are no umps available. The sadder thing is, Clay (or any other asshat parent) won't realize they're largely to blame.

Meanwhile the kids will shrug and go looking for ice cream. Because, you know, sometimes it's the kids who get all the perspective.